Watch: 2 Clips From Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or-Winning 'Amour'

By
Kevin Jagernauth
|
The PlaylistOctober 26, 2012 at 5:37PM

With "Amour" earning Michael Haneke his second Palme d'Or this spring at Cannes where it received rave reviews and was selected by Austria as their official Oscar entry, there is no doubt the director's latest is in the awards season hunt. But will voters match critics in their appreciation for this very tough, yet tender look at death and the fortitude it takes to see someone slip away?

With "Amour" earning Michael Hanekehis second Palme d'Or this spring at Cannes where it received rave reviews and was selected by Austria as their official Oscar entry, there is no doubt the director's latest is in the awards season hunt. But will voters match critics in their appreciation for this very tough, yet tender look at death and the fortitude it takes to see someone slip away?

We'll see as the next couple months play out, but these first two clips (and it's not exactly the easiest movie to portion out) give a good indication of the the film's tone. The first offers a glimpse of the events just before husband and wife -- Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva -- find their lives forever changed. A simple act of the water being left running indicates that something far more devastating is about to happen. Meanwhile, the second clip shows the husband reflecting back on happier memories of his wife, who is no longer the woman he has spent his life with.

A bracing film, but also one that we said is "masterfully directed by Haneke, boasting two great performances," it's an arthouse highlight this holiday season. "Amour" arrives in limited release on December 19th. [via The Film Stage]